Revision, New Light of the Soul
by Boa Python
Summary: Set 10 years after the Battle against Arachnophobia at Baba Yaga's Castle, A new Kishin has risen. Unbeknownst to the students of Shibusen, how will the newest students shape up? **Discontinued until further notice. See profile for info**
1. Chapter 1: Meetings

Chapter 1: Meetings

"Hello, hello! Welcome to Shibusen!" Shinigami, Lord Death himself, welcomed the new students. "I hope you learn a great deal and, remember, enjoy your stay!" He bobbed several times before handing the floor over to a teacher.

He nodded to the eccentric headmaster before introducing himself and launching directly into an explanation of school rules and student responsibilities, classic school stuff. "Thank you, Shinigami-Sama. Now, I am Izumu Garrot, Teacher of…"

Sarah promptly zoned him out, she had read and reread the school rules so many times she nearly had them memorized. Right now she was too busy admiring the school to pay any attention. She had made it, she was actually here! The legendary school Shibusen, The Death Weapon Meister Academy, vanguard of peace and bane of evil. The only thing standing between peace and absolute chaos, and she had been accepted! She felt giddy for a moment before finally paying attention to the teacher again

"Now if you could please assemble into two groups, Meisters over here and Weapons over there." The students quickly made their way, Sarah among them. Professor Garrot waited patiently for the few stragglers to take their places before continuing. "The relationship between Weapon and Meister is the single most important factor in battle. If you can't trust each other with your very lives, there is absolutely no way that you can win. Choosing a compatible partner is important, of course, but it means nothing without trust. So, I know this may seem childish, but we're going to run a few trust exercises" He held up his hands to quell the groans "Just so you start to get a feel for any potential partners. Remember, you don't have to choose today, it's more important that you get to know each other a bit."

Sarah sighed, it figured. Truth be told, all she felt like doing was picking her partner, **Right Now**! But she put up with it, going through all the exercises, keeping an eye out for potential partners. The exercises ended an eternity later, and still no prospects. _'What a waste of time.'_ She thought, annoyed. All she had gotten for her troubles was a pervert, a dozen jerks hitting on her, and a bruise on her right arm when one of them caught her wrong.

The teachers released them and they moved on to freely interacting with each other. This was the true opportunity to find a partner. Several pairs walked off to try swinging their weapon, having already chosen a partner. _'Idiots'_ she thought, knowing that they hadn't even synchronized their soul wavelengths, and, sure enough, most of them got shocked when they tried to hold them. _'Not as many as I thought' _she was surprised and four pairs swung their weapons and walked off, satisfied.

"Don't worry about them, they've been training with each other for weeks synching up." An older girl told her. Sarah glanced at the badge. "Meister" _'Damn, no luck.'_

"Wait, I thought we were the newest group?" She asked

"Well you are, but there are a few of us who still don't have partners, so here we are, testing for new blood." The girl smiled "I'm Mina Harker"

"Sarah Silverstein" She introduced herself

"Charmed, now let's get moving or we'll miss out."

"Yeah"

She found several Weapons that she got along with, but each already had a group of Meisters surrounding them. _'Totally not worth it.'_

One girl who was desperate for a Meister seemed like a good fit, but neither girl could hold the black haired girl while in her whip form. She immediately fell to her knees, crying and begging them to try again, but the electric shock was too great.

Others formed Cliques almost immediately, leaving _"the loners and the roving jerks" _according to Mina. "The Loners are alright, but shy. The Roving Jerks are…well, jerks."

Boy did she have that right. Honestly, why did all the Weapons who were interested in her act like she didn't have a brain? She was looking for a partner, not a boyfriend

"Holy…" Mina tapped Sarah on the shoulder "Would you look at him?" A Platinum-blond behemoth was making his way through the crowd. He was almost six feet tall and thickly built, despite being their age. His badge read "Weapon". "Now what kind of weapon would he be?" Mina mused

It became apparent that a group of Jerks were harassing him, trying to get him to be their partner. He remained silent, but kept moving, trying to ignore them, but to no avail. As soon as one got bored another would start in on him.

After a moment it became obvious that the Weapon was moving towards another group of Weapons picking on a nerdy kid. He kept walking until he entered the group, standing between them and the kid. All of them stopped talking immediately.

Silence reigned for a long moment before one of the group spoke. "What do you want?"

The giant finally spoke; surprisingly quiet "Just… stop."

They took a step back "We weren't doing anything, just playing, sorry." They started to disperse as one added "gigantor"

He winced, quickly moving away, but the group noticed his reaction, following him at a distance throwing insults. "Behemoth," "Fattie," "Troll." At each insult he lowered his head, as if trying to hide behind his broad shoulders.

"Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo." A boy wearing a yellow bandana and a patched army jacket walked up to him, addressing the gang. "Now, there's no need for that, right buddy?" He put his arm on the larger boys shoulder, stopping him next to Sarah and Mina.

"We're not bothering him, right gigantor?" they snickered

"Bull!" The kid challenged "And if I were you, I'd cut it out." He leaned forward "You're pissing him off"

"And we're supposed to be afraid of him?"

"No, no, no. You're supposed to be afraid of us." He glanced over at the two girls, "Isn't that that right, ladies?"

Mina nodded, playing along with his bluff "That's right; they're a full-fledged Weapon and Meister pair."

"So just do yourself a favor and back off." Sarah added.

The jerk snickered again "Yeah right, I bet you can't even-"

"Oh really? In that case, you ready, partner?" He smiled dangerously

He grunted an affirmative and began to glow, transforming.

"My name is Art Tannin, and _**this**_ is my partner" he said as he caught the newly formed shield, striking an impressive pose. The shield was a perfect Celtic knot, as tall and wide as Art's arm

'_There's no way! Without any preparation they're completely synchronized?'_ Sarah thought, stunned.

Within the next second, small arcs of lightning ran up Art's arm as the pair found a balance in their power

"Now, see? Which one of you punks want to be first?" Art announced, eyes twitching dangerously

"No! Sorry!" The punks quickly dispersed

Art chuckled as they ran "Yo, they're gone, come back."

The shield changed back, and the tall boy stood for a moment before turning to Art "…Thanks"

"No problem, but…" Art began to sway "I'm feeling dizzy"

He leaned towards the Shield, who caught him easily.

"You all right?" Mina asked

"Yeah, thanks for backing me up, I'm Art"

"Mina"

"Sarah" They introduced themselves before hearing a low voice

"…Celt" They all looked up at him, surprised for a moment

"Well, nice to meet you. But, how did you know that would work?" Mina asked

Art shrugged "Didn't. Never know 'till you try. That's just how I roll." He looked up, "Celt, huh? Nice to meet'cha."

Celt nodded and gave a single grunt

"Well, looks like you both found your partner" Sarah commented "not us though…"

"Don't worry; we'll get another chance next week." Mina reassured her "Anyways, you two better get a teacher to confirm your partnership and arrange your housing."

"Yeh. Seeya around!" Art walked off

Celt bowed elegantly to each of them before following after.

"Well, looks like this is winding down, care to go to lunch?" Mina asked

"Lead the way, I'm starving"

* * *

Mina led Sarah to the Cafeteria, where they promptly got some food and found a place to sit. Looking around, Sarah spotted the whip girl from earlier sitting in the opposite corner, a purple aura of depression surrounding her. Sarah was about to tap Mina when a hand grabbed her shoulder

"Yo! How'zit going?" Art took a seat followed by Celt, who grunted a greeting.

"Well," Mina started before taking another bite and eating, "quite obviously, we're hungry."

"Cool, cool. I was just catching up with my man Celt here, when we spotted ya and decided to come on over."

"Catching up?" Sarah asked, more likely it was Art doing all the talking

"Yeah, you know, becoming all aquaintenized"

Celt said nothing, just continued to eat his chicken tenders. Silence took over the table as everyone followed his example

"Wow that is one depressing chick" Art commented as the whip girls aura continued to spread and she broke into tears on her tray "I can like, _feel_ it from here"

"That's… a pretty extreme reaction for just the first day. Anyone know how long she's been here?" Sarah asked

"Hmm?" Mina turned to see who they were talking about. "Oh, that's Kaitlyn, she's been here…" Mina weighed the time in her head "As long as I have."

"Longer…" Kaitlyn sobbed into her food

"_Damn,_ she has good hearing!" Art responded, "I wonder if she's like, a microphone or something."

"No, she's a whip, trust me we know." Sarah informed him as Kaitlyn gave a wail, French fries falling from her face as she lifted her head.

"A whip? Kinky, I like it." Art smiled

"Pervert," Mina called him between bites. "But I wouldn't try it, she's more than likely to shock you into the next dimension" Kailyn gave another, louder, wail. "She's always had difficulty finding someone to synch with. I've had troubles finding a partner too, but at the very least I've found several Weapons to synch with, it's just someone always got to them first."

"Ugh, now I'm almost too depressed to eat." Art groaned before quickly finishing his tray. "Well, I'm about off so- Celt? Celt? Where'dja go?" Art looked around in a panic.

Celt had quietly made his way to Kaitlyn, who was now crying into his arms, sobs rapidly decreasing in both volume and frequency.

"Not only is he awesome, he's Ninja! That makes him even more awesomer! Awesomest! However the frell you say that! I've got the coolest weapon ev-ar!" Art gave a loud whoop

"Class soon…" Celt told both him and Kaitlyn, who sat up and rubbed her cheeks furiously to dry them

"Coo'! Laterz!" Art dumped his tray and went off, Celt following soon after with a bow.

"We should probably head off to class soon, too." Mina said as she read her watch "Which class are you in?"

"Setting Sun" Sarah told her

"Alright, I'll meet you there after class, ok?" Mina asked as they put away their trays

"Oh! Sure." Sarah agreed

* * *

The next week passed by quickly, and they were back to partner-hunting. This time the teachers had them play a few short games of soccer for "team-building" purposes. This time wasn't as bad, and Sarah even had fun beating the snot out of the other teams. Still no luck finding a partner, but Mina found a few prospects and it was amusing watching Kaitlyn as she nearly broke the dress code, thrusting herself into a male Meister's arms, proclaiming: "Take me! I'm yours!" Then falling to the ground as he dropped her and passed out from the monster nosebleed he had just acquired.

"You know," Mina said to Sarah as the Meister was carried away on a stretcher, "I didn't think it was possible for someone to lose that much blood, that fast… Without severing a major artery, of course."

"Pity though, he ruined her dress. I mean, that blood will never come out." Sarah mused as Kaitlyn bawled in disappointment

"Though, it was kind of cute." Mina admitted with a small smile

"Damn it! I thought I had him for sure!" Kaitlyn cried out loudly, getting others in the immediate area to stare… even more.

"Yep, she's going to make a great stalker one day." Sarah concluded

"I think she's already there." Mina corrected, shaking her head in dismay as Kaitlyn clung to another to yet another unfortunate Meister. "Anyway," She shook her attention away from Kaitlyn's next big scene, "Back to work. Plenty of choices to work from, assuming they aren't all taken by next week"

Which of course was all too likely, Sarah knew.

* * *

And she was right. The group looked to be about a quarter of its original size. Professor Garrot, the Teacher in charge, had abandoned games and exercises today, focusing instead on personal interaction. "All right, I think you've all had enough games and such, so, today is devoted completely to getting to know each other. Talk, practice, whatever. You can even spar if you need to, but _**Only**_ if you get my ok first. I'll be walking between you, mediating and overall meddling wherever I feel like, so I shouldn't be too hard to find. Again, there's _**No**_ pressure to find a partner today," He seemed to be speaking directly at Kaitlyn, who was back in regulation school garb. "So don't start freaking out on me, we still have one more session after this one, and you're all stuck in the same school anyway, so you'll find each other. But, if you're still having troubles, find me." This time he was definitely talking to Kaitlyn, who shuffled her feet. "My room is Lone Comet, and I'll have an updated list of who's got a partner, and who still doesn't. If none of them work out, there's always next year, and partnerships don't always take, so I'll make sure you're notified if someone become available." The students stood there for a moment, silently waiting. He raised his hands, indicating his next word "Mingle!" He sounded slightly bemused that the students hadn't gotten it right away.

"Small crowd" Sarah observed

"Sorry, got to quickly find who's left. So, meet you up later?" Mina asked

"Yeah, go!" Sarah nodded and Mina hurried off.

None of the potentials she had found were there, so she tried a few at random, getting several minor shocks. Bored, she amused herself by watching Kaitlyn, careful to keep far enough away that she didn't become the next "viclyn" (Victim of Kaitlyn).

Soon, others were actively trying to evade Kaitlyn, but there was no escape from the desperate Weapon.

One of the smaller Meisters must have flown twenty feet through the air. They hit the ground, and dusted them self off before shrugging and walking away, unharmed.

Mina eventually returned, a short boy with green hair and glasses in tow.

"Well Sarah, I think I found one. This is Larsen"

"Hello" Sarah offered her hand to shake his. _'Oh, so cute! He's like a younger brother…or maybe a teddy bear, I just want to squeeze him!'_

Larsen took the hand and kissed it, then started speaking incredibly fast. "Hello,I'm-Larsen-Pleasure-To-Meet-You-How-Do-You-Do?" He never once took a breath, and forgot to let go of Sarah's hand, shaking it the entire time.

"Larsen, you're rambling again." Mina warned him, stifling a giggle

"Sorry,My-Sincerest-Apologies,Forgive-Me." He let go of her hand, folding his together as he gave an apologetic bow.

"That's ok" Sarah told him. "So what is your Weapon form?"

"Oh! Let-Me-Show-You!" He turned to Mina "Are you ready?"

She nodded and he transformed into…

"A Wrench?" Sarah asked

"Not _**just**_ a Wrench." Mina corrected as Larsen transformed into a Screwdriver, then a Nail Gun, a Pipe, and, finally, a Blow Torch. "But that's not the best part. Larsen's most important ability is this…" She lifted her school jacket, revealing a very complex-looking piece of armor underneath. "Regardless of what his weapon form is, Larsen protects me with his Tech armor."

"That's…" Sarah thought for a moment, before coming up with the appropriate adjective. "Actually sort of cool"

"Yes. I may lack offensive ability, but support is my true specialty anyway." Mina said

"Yes,And-I'm-Excellent-For-"

"Larsen! Now, slow down." Mina chastised

"Yeah. I'm her perfect tool." Larsen finished, calmly

Sarah hugged Mina "Good for you!"

"Thank you" Mina hugged her back

Larsen stared for a moment before speaking. "No-Hug-For-Me?" The pouting chibi was irrisistable…

They looked at each other before screaming as one: "Aww! Cute!" They both hugged him at the same time.

"Ok, time to go get registered." Mina announced

They found Professor Garrot easily, Kaitlyn attached to his arm. "Professor, I need help! No-one will be my partner!" She whined

"I know, I know." He pat her on the back comfortingly

"Be Mine?" She gazed up at him, tears in her eyes

Garrot sighed, gazing skyward

"Umm? Professor?" Mina was hesitant to interrupt.

Larsen, however had no such qualms "Professor,We-Want-To-Be-Partners,So-Let's-Complete-Whatever-Test-You-Want-And-Update-The-School-Records-Now-Please?"

"No! One last chance, Mina! Please?" Kaitlyn screeched as she clung to Mina's leg

She backed off as a jet of flame burst between Kaitlyn and Mina "No you may not, Mine." Larsen staked his claim, accentuating his point by turning his arm into a blowtorch.

"That's enough of that." Garrot calmly pulled the pair of weapons apart "After all, no one asked me for a sparring match."

"May-We-Have-A-Sparring-Match-If-She-Doesn't-Back-Off-Teacher,Please?"

"Now, I don't think that's necessary" Mina stated. "I've already chosen my partner"

"Understood, just show me that you're compatible and I'll give you the registration form." Garrot nodded, as Kaitlyn wailed

They showed him and filled out the forms, handing them back to Professor Garrot before heading to the cafeteria.

A permanent gloom now consumed the corner, regardless of whether Kaitlyn was sitting there or not. Celt had become her personal security blanket, always sitting there and eating his lunch, left arm often taken over by Kaitlyn. Art had taken to flitting between the two tables, often starting with Sarah's group before finishing his lunch and moving to sit across from Celt in silence, occupying himself with drawing patterns in the purple aura.

When Sarah had asked why, he simply shrugged. "Just givin' my man some back up, you know?"

"But you don't say or do anything." She replied

Art had merely shrugged again, giving her a knowing smile

Today, Art stuck around longer, messing around with Larsen. It had started when Art heard how fast Larsen spoke and just escalated from there. First Art had tested Larsen's reflexes, throwing three French fries in an arc. Larsen caught all three and responded, tossing four orange slices. Art caught them and immediately challenged Larsen to an eating contest.

Five trays later they were slowing down but still going at it, matching each other tray for tray. Both finished and Art flopped back, "Ok, that's it, I'm broke."

"I win by default" The smaller boy replied, raising his hands in victory before collapsing onto the bench.

"Hey, hey, hey! No, no, no! Just cuz you got money an I don't, don't mean you win." Art objected

"You only win if you eat another tray" Mina stated cruelly, eliciting groans from both boys.

"No!" They both called in unison from their respective places on the bench

"Now that was just mean" Sarah spoke into the back of her hand, hiding what she was saying from the two competitors

"I know." Mina smiled, "That's what they get for being morons"

Art stood, stretching before moving to the other table, plopping onto the table. "Yo, I-" He stopped, glancing at Kaitlyn. "Hey, you're not crying!" He scanned her for movement. "You're movin' so I know you're not dead." He looked over at Celt before asking quietly "She sleepin'?"

Celt nodded, noting the time before reluctantly shaking Kaitlyn gently

"Just five more minutes…" She muttered

Sarah watched thinking about her own troubles finding a partner

Mina seemed to read her thoughts "Don't worry. You'll find someone… even if I have to kill their partner."

"I'll-Get-The-Murder-Plans-Started-Right-Away." Larsen sat up, revitalized "Now, Where-Best-To-Bury-A-Body?"

It was impossible to take such dark plans seriously coming from cute little Larsen. Sarah hugged him "Thank you for the thought. Hopefully it'll never come to that, right?"

Larsen smiled, remaining cute and silent

* * *

The next week came and Sarah felt empty without Mina there, backing her up. There were only a few weapons left so Sarah tried a few, not finding any that would fit. She began to start to understand how Kaitlyn felt. Speaking of Kaitlyn, where was she? She hadn't made any obvious scenes today, but she should still be there.

Looking around Sarah quickly found her, sitting as a small puddle on the ground. Sarah was considering trying again when another weapon walked up and extended his hand.

'_Yes!'_ Sarah hadn't tried him yet but as she approached Kaitlyn perked up, whatever he had said had obviously made her day. _'Wait, he's not going to try, is he?' _Kaitlyn transformed and the boy grabbed hold, lightning arcing furiously up his arm. But something was different; he seemed to be channeling the energy to the ground, not getting hurt at all. He concentrated and the lightning began to die down, becoming mere sparks of static on his sleeve.

"Not perfect, but it'll do." He smiled, cracking the black whip

"SQUEEE!" Kaitlyn screamed for joy as she transformed back, still holding his hand.

Sarah fell to her knees; another Weapon had succeeded where so many Meisters had failed. _'Wait a minute!'_ She realized, _'That leaves even __**less**__ Weapons available to me!' _

"ARG!" She growled, now on the hunt, finding any remaining Weapon and trying them all multiple times. But it was no use, none could synch with her, or could synch with someone else better. Finally, almost everyone seemed to be paired, even Kaitlyn with the Weapon, who refused to partner with anyone else, despite Professor Garrot's refusal to confirm their partnership.

After all her hard work the bubble finally seemed to dawn on her:

**She had no partner**

Her mind was still processing the thought when Professor Garrot addressed her. "Well, any luck? Miss…?"

"Silverstein," she replied automatically before reeling in her mind. "Sarah Silverstein, and no, I couldn't find anyone."

"Understood, I'll put you on the list. I don't want to get your hopes up just yet…"

Sarah could hear the unspoken "But…?" she provided

"There may be an opening, but need we to speak with Shinigami-Sama before working it out." Garrot finished. "I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen, so I wouldn't bank on it if I were you." He didn't bother to tell her not to worry, knowing that it would be rude of him to do so, and wouldn't stop her anyway.

"Alright, thank you." She gave a half bow before going to lunch, joining with the rest.

"Hey! What's going on? Where's Kaitlyn?" Art demanded of no-one, mostly on Celt's behalf, who had stopped in the doorway, mostly blocking it. Celt was eventually coaxed forward by Sarah answering, "She found a partner."

Celt nodded and gave a true smile. "Good." He stated simply as Sarah half filled her tray, not feeling particularly hungry, but determined to eat nonetheless.

Mina glanced at Sarah's tray and deduced what happened. "No luck?" Sarah shook her head. "Oh. I'm sorry. But don't worry, the same thing happened to me and I got a partner."

Larsen cuddled up to Sarah in an attempt to make her feel better. She squeezed him out of habit, still feeling depressed.

"Alright! It's decided!" Mina declared, standing. "I'll meet you immediately after class; I want to show you something!"

"Yo? What it be?" Art asked, curious

"Sarah only" Mina stated before walking off.

"Why'dya gotta be like that?" Art feigned being hurt then continued, "Alright, have fun with the girly thangs." He gave a two-fingered Boy Scout style salute and went off, Celt soon following with a bow and a "Farewell."

Sarah soon followed, wondering what Mina could possibly have in store for her.

* * *

"Ta-Da!" Mina announced, throwing out her arms. "The Girls' Bath. There's nothing better for helping you relax. Please note the high walls and steep, almost unscalable cliff, all designed to thwart any would-be perverts, allowing you to relax in safety." She stood with sparkles in her eyes, grabbing Sarah's hand and pulling her forward, "Come on!"

"Umm… I not entirely comfortable-" Sarah started

"Come on-nn!" Mina held the n for a moment, "It's fine, no boy can get up here, and if they do there are enough Weapons here to kill them over and over again."

"Well, it's just… I've never been to one of these before." Sarah confessed, blushing slightly.

"Is that all? Oh don't worry; it'll be great, you'll see." They entered and prepared to change.

Sarah stepped inside before changing, wanting to see the inside before "going all the way". There were at least a dozen girls, including Sarah's homeroom teacher, Morgana La Fay. Mina was quickly undressed and walked into the bath, before scoffing at Sarah, chastising her. "Oh, really? It won't be that bad, go in and change, right now!" She commanded, pushing Sarah with a single hand.

Sarah felt an odd pulse as she prepared to go back, and she stopped for a moment, turning. She looked around, trying to find its source.

"What? What is it?" Mina asked, concerned by Sarah's odd behavior

Sarah said nothing, still searching. Catching a sparkle at the top of her vision, she glanced up, spotting a very fast moving… something.

"Look! What is that?" A girl pointed up, a split second before the object hit the ground in the center area of the bath. Fortunately, no one was in the area, the girl closest screamed, running away.

"Get back! Back!" Morgana's protective instincts took over, as she pushed the girls back with her metal staff-like arms.

The dust settled, and the object became visible. "Oh my God!" Sarah exclaimed as she rushed forward, much to Morgana's dismay.

"Young lady!" Morgana barked as she shepherded the girls inside. "I said back!"

"But he might be hurt!" She argued, rushing to the boy's side. He was laying face up in a self-made crater, two streams of blood trickling down either side of his face. Sarah promptly examined him, checking for breath and a pulse. He wasn't breathing, but before she could lay a finger on him to check for a pulse he jerked, gasping for air. Sarah recoiled in response before carefully grasping his hand. He grabbed a hold in response, gently holding on. His eyes fluttered before blinking several times, eyes unfocused. He blinked slowly, eyes gradually regaining focus. His brown eyes finally focused on Sarah, resting on her face.

Morgana rushed in, wearing a purple robe. "All right Miss Silverstein, what have you uncovered?" Her tone revealed her irritation with Sarah ignoring her.

Before she could answer, the boy spoke. "Wh-where am I? Who are you?" he grabbed Sarah's hand with both hands, curling up to hide behind her.

Morgana provided the reply, tone less sharp than before. "Where: Girls' Bath. Who, is what we should be asking you. Now how did you get here?"

"I-I don't know…" he stammered

"I'm pretty sure he fell" Sarah provided. Several girls, Mina at the forefront, were peering out, watching the scene unfold

"Oh really? I had _**no idea**_!" Morgana loomed over the pair, face rather pink. "What I don't know, little miss smarty, is how he got here! Did he build himself a catapult and throw himself into the girl's bath or did someone else throw him?" Her tone got gradually louder, not at all happy that her time to de-stress was disrupted.

Now dressed, a few of the more curious of the girls came closer, trying to get a view of the intruder.

"I-I don't know!" He repeated, much more panicked

The girls closed in as Morgana's voice shrilled "How Can You Not Know!"

He reached a full panic "I Don't Know!" He cried, transforming to protect himself. He was still gripping Sarah, attaching to her arms as he became a pair of blades.

All of them were shocked, but none more so than Sarah. As the group took a step back, Sarah stood, admiring the Weapons. There were no arcs of electricity, no discomfort at all as they synchronized.

"You. With me. Now!" Morgana ordered Sarah

* * *

Author's Notes: Yay! My first upload to ! It's my first Soul Eater FanFic, my first ever published FanFic, so please don't hurt me if it's horrible. If I've made a terrible mistake (especially in regards to the SE universe) I'm sure you'll tell me (Be Nice). I haven't completely decided whether I'm basing this off the Anime or the Manga, But I like the Idea of Kishin eggs, so that's staying regardless. So, I hope you enjoyed, and remember it's my first time, so please be gentle. ^_^


	2. Chapter 2: Nom, Pre et Sur

Dramatis Personae:

Shibusen Faculty:  
(Canon)

Shinigami – Lord Death, Headmaster, DWMA  
Mira Nygus – Nurse, Weapon, Combat Knife  
Spirit – Shinigami's personal Death Scythe, Scythe  
Franken Stein – Meister

(OC)

Izumu Garrot – Teacher, Lone Comet, Meister  
Morgana La Fay – Teacher, Setting Sun, Weapon

Students:

Sarah Silverstein – Meister, Arm Blades  
Nom – Weapon, Arm Blades  
Mina Harker – Meister, Tool  
Larsen Miles – Weapon, Tool  
Art Tannin – Meister, Shield  
Celt – Weapon, Shield

* * *

Ch 2: Nom, Pre et Sur

"You. With me. Now!" Professor La Fay ordered Sarah

"Um, Ma'am?" Mina intercepted the teacher. "Before taking her anywhere, shouldn't you get changed?"

Morgana La Fay looked down, observing her purple robe, or, more precisely, her lack of clothing underneath. "Bring me a towel," She ordered, collecting her long hair onto her head. "I will not get my shirt wet. As for you!" She glared at Sarah. "Don't. Go. Anywhere. Understood?"

Sarah nodded as Mina rushed back with a towel, and La Fay went in to get changed. As soon as she was out of sight, Mina immediately started shooting off questions. "So, who is he? Where'd he come from? What's his name?" She pulled Sarah outside of the bath, away from the other girls.

Sarah barely stifled a laugh, "I don't know, we just met."

"Well, ask him, silly!" Mina insisted

"Right." She concentrated on the link between their souls, establishing a mental connection. _'Hello?'_

'…_you're not going to hurt me, right?'_ he asked timidly

'_No. Don't worry.' _She told him. _'I'm Sarah, what's your name?'_

'_Name? I'm…I'm…'_ He gave a frustrated whine _'I can't remember!'_

'_Can't remember?'_ She could feel his frustration at not being able to answer. _'What can you remember?'_

'_I remember, waking up. I opened my eyes and…you were there.' _He began to panic at his lack of memory. _'Why can't I remember? I don't remember!'_

'_It's alright, don't push yourself'_ she ordered, calming him down

"Anything?" Mina asked

"He can't remember. His first memory is waking up here." Sarah answered, dredging up the entire extent of his memory banks.

"Oh, really…?" Mina was forlorn for a moment. "Well, what are we supposed to call him? He has to have a name."

"What can we call you…?" Sarah asked, not really directing the question at him

'_A name…'_ He thought for a moment before transforming, much to their surprise. "Nom! Call me Nom!" He looked down as he hid behind Sarah again, shuffling his foot. "It's French. It means "Name"."

"How do you know that?" Sarah prodded, gently.

"I just…know." Nom fidgeted slightly, trying to stay out of Mina's sight

Sarah looked back at her before speaking. "Nom, this is Mina. She's a friend, she won't hurt you."

Mina offered her hand and Nom tentatively took it, barely grabbing hold and quickly letting go. "Charmed" She said

They had no time for anything else as they heard Professor La Fay on her way. "Where are you?" Nom jerked his head before changing right as she rounded the doorway. "Oh, there you are. Now let's going" She reached out to grab Sarah's arm before thinking better of it, deciding instead to indicate that Sarah should follow.

"Sorry, guess the bath will have to wait" Sarah apologized

"Oh, well. At least you got a partner out of it, unlikely as it seems." Mina shrugged.

La Fay paused briefly, looking back at Mina before stating "He has to be registered first." She gave no other complaint, striding forward as she added: "Assuming, of course, that we can register him"

Sarah followed dutifully, answering La Fay's questions to the best of her ability. There was very little to go on and La Fay soon knew as much as Sarah. They walked in silence for a while before Nom asked a question of his own.

'_Sarah? Where are we going?'_

'_Um, back to school, I think. Give me a moment.'_ She relayed the question. "Professor La Fay? Where are you leading us, exactly?"

"To Shinigami-Sama, in the Death Room." La Fay answered without pause.

"Oh, ok." The Death Room! Really! That's the headmaster's personal chamber!

'_Sarah?' _Nom sounded tired

'_Yes?'_

'_I'm… I… hurt…' _He managed before dropping out of his weapon form.

"Professor La Fay!" Sarah yelled in alarm

The Teacher was over in an instant, quickly looking him over. "He's bleeding a little bit," She sighed, "The Death Room will have to wait; we'd better head him to the Dispensary. If I had known…" She lifted him and began a timely march; Sarah had to struggle to keep up. La Fay was muttering to herself "Must have gotten them on impact… Hiding, couldn't see… Why did no one tell me?" No-one, of course, meant Sarah.

"I'm sorry…" Sarah gave a weak reply

La Fay jerked her head, pulled out of her own thoughts. "Oh, no, no. It's not your fault. I didn't bother asking, just grabbed you up and dragged you along." She thought a moment before continuing. "I've been acting like a real b-" She caught herself. "A real brat. My apologies."

**

* * *

**

Sarah was leaning on the wall next to the Dispensary, waiting. Finally La Fay exited, Nurse Nygus shutting the door after them. Sarah jerked to her feet. "How is he?"

"He'll be fine. All he had was a pair of large cuts on his forehead and nasty bump on the back of his head. No broken bones, despite the fall" Nygus reported.

"Considering the landing, I'm surprised it isn't worse." La Fay added

"Why'd he collapse?" Sarah asked

"Most likely shock from the incident combined with dizziness from the blood loss. He's stable and will make a full recovery." Nygus informed her

"Can I see him?"

La Fay glanced at Nygus, who nodded. "That should be fine."

Nygus opened the door and Sarah entered. She pulled back the curtain and walked to the bed.

It was empty.

"Umm… Nygus-san?" Sarah began before being tapped on the shoulder. She turned, straightened, and for a split second thought that Nygus had lost her bandages.

Not that Nom really looked anything like Nygus. "Hi." Nom said, head wrapped.

"Yes?" Nygus entered and Nom disappeared. Noting the empty bed and the weapons on Sarah's arms she put two and two together. "You shouldn't be up." She chastised the blades on Sarah's arms.

"I-I'm alright." Nom stated, reflection quickly disappearing from sight.

"You shouldn't even be conscious" Nygus said

"But since he is…" La Fay entered unbidden, pulling back the curtain. "Time to report to Shinigami-Sama. If you'll come with me," She motioned for Sarah to come. "Provided you have no major objections, Nygus?"

"I would prefer it if he stayed here for observation, but… If you feel this is best, then go." Nygus gave her permission. "You'll bring him right back if there's any trouble, of course."

"Certainly" La Fay promised as she left.

**

* * *

**

"So, so, that's how it is, hmm?" Shinigami mused at La Fay's explanation

Sarah was both excited and scared at the same. To be taken to the center of Shibusen's power, the personal chambers of arguably the most powerful being in the world. Sarah noted Professor La Fay's perfect posture and immediately straightened.

La Fay nodded to him before continuing, "Yes, sir. It seems he has no memory before the incident"

"Alright, alright." He thought for a moment. "Well, what would you suggest?"

It seemed to Sarah that Professor La Fay straightened even further, if that was even possible. "I believe he should be kept under strict surveillance, and what better way to keep an eye on him than to register him as a student and pair him with a Meister. To that extent, I recommend Miss Silverstein."

"Sounds good, sounds good. Miss Silverstein?" Shinigami turned to her

"Yes, Sir-Lord-Death-Shinigama-Sama?" She piped, her surprised voice pulling a Larsen

"I would like your opinion on this. Are you willing to undertake this assignment for the DWMA?"

She gave a salute "Yes, sir, Lord Death"

"Take a deep breath, relax" La Fay placed a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder, keeping her posture.

"Yes. Now, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak to the Weapon himself." Shinigami requested

"I'll try, sir." Sarah promised. _'Can you please come back out? We need to talk to you.'_

'…_Do I have to?' _Nom asked

She thought for a second before replying, _'Yes.'_ Nom sighed, but did as asked, hiding behind Sarah the moment his human form appeared. "Don't worry, I'm here." She comforted

"There's no need to worry." Shinigami confirmed "I assume you heard our conversation?"

"Yes" Nom peeked around Sarah

"Well then, how about it? Are you willing to become a student of Shibusen?" Shinigami cocked his head to the side.

"I get to stay with Sarah?" Nom moved a little closer, less afraid of him than of the loud teacher he had met in the baths

"That would be a requirement of your enrollment" Shinigami told him. "You would be her partner. And she would be your Meister. In short, where ever she goes, you would have to follow."

Nom smiled, no longer feeling afraid. "Yes, I would like that! Just one thing: What is a Meister?" He looked at each of them, even the scary lady, waiting for an answer.

"This is going to take a lot of review lessons, isn't it?" La Fay asked, sighing into her hand

Sarah couldn't keep herself from a short giggle "No problems, I'll make sure to help him out."

"But, what is it? It sounds important." Nom scratched his head

"I'll put together a basic package of what you need to know. So then, off to the Library!" She began to push him out before stopping. "Umm, if there's nothing else, Lord Death?" She couldn't believe that she had almost walked out on Shinigami in such a rude fashion.

"I see no problem. Professor La Fay and I will see to your living arrangements, tootle-loo!" He waved them off

"Wait! Silverstein! Just, stay in the Library so I know where to find you!" La Fay demanded, unable to believe that she had suddenly gotten stuck with so much work. And on her day of relaxation, no less! It was hardly a wonder that she had been so annoyed the entire day. She would have objected, but there was no way she would do such a thing, not when it was Shinigama-Sama giving the orders. "And, Bladed-Weapon Nom! I expect a copy of Sarah's lesson plan so I can fill in the curriculum." It was obvious that he would wind up in her classroom, and she fully intended for him to reach, if not exceed, the level of the rest of the class.

"Yes, Ma'am!" They said as one as Sarah rushed off, dragging Nom along.

"Well then, time to get to work." Shinigami commented after watching them run off

"Yes, sir!" Morgana let no irritation show, neither in her voice nor body language, before doing as tasked.

**

* * *

**

Sarah woke to a strange smell. She panicked for a second, not used to the unfamiliar room she found herself in. It took a moment for her to remember where she was, in her new room, and the reason behind her new room, namely her new partner. Speaking of him, what was that smell? She pulled herself up and out of her room, finding Nom scrambling eggs. "Nom?"

He glanced over. "Morning!" He finished dishing out the eggs and offered her the plate

"So you know how to cook?" She took the plate and sat

"Not really. I mean I didn't add anything but cheese, all I did was make sure that it didn't burn."

Even plain, it was pretty good. "Good. Any salt or pepper?"

Nom smiled "If I had found any I would have put a little on."

She nodded, at least he was as lost as she was.

He sat across from her, two hairs sticking up in front like a pair of antennae. "Nom?"

"Hmm?" he looked up, egg halfway in his mouth.

"Do those hairs always do that? I didn't notice them before" She asked

"Hmm?" He gave a concerned grunt, straining to see. "I don't know. All I did was take a shower this morning." In that case it was definitely natural

"Well then, never mind." She finished the eggs and got dressed. By the time she got back out Nom had already cleaned up and was starting on the dishes. "Nom, forget that, we've got to get to school."

"Already?" Nom's hair antennae seemed to droop a little. "Can't I just stay here?"

'_Oh boy, he's getting scared again.'_ She thought, shaking her head. "No you can't. I'm your Meister, you have to go where I go, that was part of the deal, remember." He still looked worried. "You need to go; I want to introduce you to my friends."

His hairs perked up "Friends?"

"Yes, none of them will hurt you. And they're certain to want to meet you." She insisted.

He nodded as his only response.

"Good." They left for school. It wasn't until they had arrived that Sarah thought about his injuries. "Oh! What about your head? How's it feeling?"

"I feel fine." He was glad for her concern

'_I'll take him to the Dispensary after school, just to make sure.'_ She thought as they entered the school

**

* * *

**

They entered the classroom early, taking seats in the center of the back row. It wasn't long until Art bounced in, Celt not far behind. Art immediately noticed Nom. "Yo! Who's the new guy?" Art asked as he leaned towards Nom from the second row down. Nom recoiled from Art, scared of the excited boy. Art, seeing this, backed off immediately. "Whoa, no problems, dude. I dun' bite." Art held up his hands.

Celt raised an eyebrow, but took the seat next to Art, remaining quiet, as usual.

"This is my partner, Nom" Sarah informed them.

"Nom, nom, nom!" Art mimicked eating, sporting an orange bandana today.

Sarah glared and he immediately stopped. "Anyways, this goof is Art"

"One goof reporting, sah!" Art gave a sloppy salute and just as sloppy British accent

Sarah ignored him "And this fine young man is Celt. He may be big, but don't worry, he's the strong, silent type." Celt turned around, blushing slightly

Professor La Fay marched in, right as class started. "Morning, morning." She realized that she was starting to sound like Shinigami. Shaking her head she started the lesson.

Nom was originally jittery in class, but soon got used to the presence of other students. It helped that they were seated in the back row, but Professor La Fay still made him nervous. _'It's just the first day, he'll get used to her.'_

Then it was lunch, time for the rest of the introductions. Mina was first to arrive. "Hey!" She welcomed them as she sat down on the other side of Nom.

"Mina, you know Nom. Nom, you remember Mina." Sarah reintroduced them.

"Hi." Nom gave a small wave.

Mina nodded "How's your head? Show me." She demanded. Nom stiffened, all the way up to his antennae, turning his head as ordered. Mina tilted it, observing his forehead. "Ouch. That's going to leave a mark." She gave a snort. "At least the scars will be symmetrical. It'll actually be kind of hot."

"Huh?" His eyes widened as the two hairs stood straight up on his head in alarm.

Mina gave a seductive giggle as Larsen arrived. He gave one look at Nom before narrowing his eyes.

"Who-Are-You?What-Do-You-Think-You're-Doing?You're-In-My-Seat-Move." The small greenette was furious at the sudden change in seating, towering over Nom despite the difference in their heights

"Ahh!" Nom was immediately overwhelmed, sinking under the table in an attempt to escape.

"Yo! What's the problem, dude?" Art would have reached around the table, but Mina was closer.

"Larsen!" Mina was shocked at his extreme reaction. She grabbed him by the collar, swinging him to the other side. "What is wrong with you?" She held his face level to hers, preventing him from looking away

He hung his head in shame, assuming the look of a beaten puppy. "I'm sorry. Overreacted." He gave a weak excuse

"Good, you better be sorry. Now, this is Sarah's partner, Nom." Mina set him down, turning to her meal, obviously still irritated. Larsen peeked over at Nom, who was starting to crawl out from under the table, Sarah helping him up. Mina gave him a warning glare "Behave."

Larsen gave a nod, walking over to Nom, who immediately made an action to crawl back under the table. Sarah stopped him as Larsen apologized. "I'm-Terribly-Sorry.I-Was-Being-Rude,Welcome." He extended his hand as he bowed. "My-Name-Is-Larsen-Colbert-Erin-Miles-It-Is-A-Great-Honor-To-Meet-You."

"Much better." Mina told him.

"Thank you, Larsen." Sarah replied

"Dude, what was with that? Actually," Art changed subjects under the combined glares of Larsen, Mina, and Sarah. "More importantly, how many names you got? Twelve? Hmm, Colbert?"

Larsen turned red as the rest of the group (excluding Nom and Celt, of course) laughed.

"I-Only-Have-Four-Given-Names,One-Middle-Name-For-Each-Grandfather,Don't-Ever-Call-Me-Colbert-Again!" He took the opportunity to steal one of Art's carrot sticks.

"Hey! No wait, never mind, I can take it." Art sank back, coolly biting into a carrot with a loud snap. "Golden Rule, don't dish out what'cha can't handle."

"That's just common sense fighting, Arty." Mina said as she put a bottle to her lips

"Arty? Hmm, no one's ever called me Arty before." Art sat up, thoughtful

"You've obviously never had a nickname before. It doesn't bother you, does it, Arty?" Mina finished the bottle

"Naw, it's coo'. I can dig it." Art went back to playing with his carrots, eating them in various creative ways.

"Don't worry. They're ok, just a little insane. They'll grow on you." Sarah told Nom

"Right…" Nom sounded doubtful, antennae drooping

"You'll be fine." Celt reassured him

Sarah noted Nom cheer up in response to Celt as Larsen and Art started stealing carrot sticks, each of them determined to eat the other's carrot supply.

**

* * *

**

Nom showed no medical signs of trauma and was healing faster than Nygus had expected, much to her pleasant surprise. She cleared him for full physical activities and told them to come back if he had any pain, which they promised to do so.

The days passed by and Nom was quickly getting used to others, no longer cringing and even answering Professor La Fay when called on. He had been learning the basics of Weapon-Meister partnerships, but still had a lot to learn before catching up to the rest of the class. Neither Sarah nor La Fay were discouraged, pushing him forward. Eventually Mina and even Larsen (after being pressured by Sarah and Mina) pitched in, tutoring him in various styles during lunch. He was learning, but it was still agonizingly slow.

Surprisingly, it was Art who discovered the most efficient way of teaching him. "Dudes, you're burying him! I mean, he needs, like, a break, you know? Time to soak it all in?" He grabbed a random page from Larsen. "Here, gimme that."

"Hey!What-Do-You-Think-" Larsen began before Art cut him off

"Trust me." He turned to Nom. "A'ight, review time. For every answer you get right, you get a treat, dig?" He tossed a few colorful candies in his right hand

Nom sat up, paying attention. By the end of lunch he was answering nearly half the questions right, a small pile of candy on the table next to him.

Mina was amazed. "Genius" she told Art

"Neh, sweets like, nev-ar fail." He downed his last remaining candy. "Simple reward system, gotcha? I prescribe treatment for two weeks to the rest of your life, as needed, A'ight?"

Nom nodded as he snacked, enjoying the various flavors as Larsen watched covetously.

Sarah noted this and took one, offering it to Larsen. "Want one?"

"Oh-no-no-no-no-no!" Mina quickly stopped Sarah. "He's not allowed to have sugar, ever."

"This is true. My-Parents-Have-Banned-Me-Since-Age-Six-When-I-Destroyed-Half-The-House." Larsen sighed, "That was fun…"

"Umm, hi? Class? You know, that thing when we sit an listen an the teachers bore us outta our skulls? Yeah, that be now." Art informed them.

"Huh?" Mina and Sarah asked at the same time.

"Class." Celt restated for Art

"Oh, well why didn't you just say that instead of going on and confusing us?" Mina brushed Art off as she walked.

"Yo! Cold!" Art shook his head before turning to Larsen. "You un'erstood me, right man?"

"Yes, Of-Course."

"I just dun get her sometimes. Good ta know you got my back, dude. Laters," Art gave Larsen a high five before going off in their different directions. Celt simply shook his head and walked off.

**

* * *

**

Morgana La Fay exited her classroom, bright red braid swinging behind her. She stopped, Silver eyes narrowing at the straw haired teacher leaning against the wall before her. She placed a hand on her hip, demanding, "What do you want?"

Izumu Garrot, the source of her displeasure, opened his dark red eyes, stretching his neck, trapped in his dark blue turtleneck. "Oh, nothing much, Morgana. I'm just here to make sure you get to the Death Room, Shinigami-Sama is waiting for us." He offered her his arm keeping his thumb hooked to his pocket, inviting her to walk with him. "Shall we?"

She ignored the extended elbow, striding past him. "You should have told me sooner." She shifted to the subject of the meeting "Any idea why?"

Garrot effortlessly caught up, long legs keeping pace with ease. "Sooner? I caught you right outside of your classroom, how could I possibly have told you sooner? As to the why… Well, I'm sure you can guess."

She continued both conversations "You could have told me before I had a chance to say anything." She paused "And you're probably right, I can guess."

"I apologize for my lack of psychic ability." He lapsed into silence for a few moments as they passed by a few students. He made sure they were out of ear shot before continuing. "This has to be about the Kishin, we both know it."

"Do you think we've found him?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's important."

They entered the Death Room, where Franken Stein, and Spirit Death Scythe waited on either side of Shinigami. Both Izumu and Morgana bowed respectfully to them.

"I hope we haven't kept you waiting." Morgana addressed them

"The meeting's mostly over, everyone's been given their assignments except you." Spirit spoke, hands in pockets

"We arrived as soon as possible." Izumu informed them

Morgana's eye twitched as she turned to him, smile plastered to her face as she spoke through her teeth. "Are you trying to imply this is somehow my fault?" Her eyes narrowed, making her smile seem dangerous "Are you?"

Izumu raised an eyebrow at her, still facing the rest of the group. "What are you going on about? How could we being late be your fault?"

"It's just that you were implying that we're late because you had to wait for me to leave my class." Her death aura was leaking towards him. _'How dare he try to embarrass me in front of Shinigami-Sama!'_

"I never said anything like that. Seriously, you're making things up." He closed his eyes, preparing for the oncoming argument. _'What did I do __**this**__ time?'_

Stein intervened before she could say anything else. "Don't worry; it's not that you're late. It's just that everyone else was early, so we didn't waste any time." He looked over at Morgana, finishing his cigarette. "We know what time classes get out and prepared the meeting accordingly."

"Of course." She straightened, planning to deal with Izumu later.

"Anyways, allow me to catch you up. As you both know a new Kishin has appeared. I needn't tell either of you what this means to the world if left unchecked." They nodded, and Shinigami continued. "So far, our attempts at finding it have been unsuccessful, hence the purpose of calling you here."

"Do you need us to help search for it?" Izumu asked, sounding almost bored.

Morgana remained straight and silent, waiting on Shinigami's word. At his order she would break the sound barrier, if need be.

"No, that's what the other teams have been assigned to do." Spirit informed them.

"Indeed. So far, this is still secret from the population at large, including the students. But that can't last forever." Shinigami leaned forward, towering over them.

"That's where you come in." Franken took over the explanation. "Your job's simple. Keep the students in the dark while simultaneously preparing them for the truth."

"That's it?" Izumu asked, his blinking betraying his surprise.

"That doesn't seem very different from our ordinary job, sirs." Morgana added.

"Oh that's what'll make it easy, my naughty teacher." Spirit flirted. "If you'd like, I'll come over and help you out with a private lesson." He was drooling as hearts floated from his eyes.

"Shinigami-Chop!" Shinigami cracked his skull, leaving him bleeding on the floor. "This isn't the time to be flirting, if you don't cut it out I'll have no choice but to Shinigami chop you!" No one bothered to correct him. He turned back to Morgana and Izumu. "I know you may not feel like it, but your job is absolutely essential. Should the students learn of this new Kishin, it could lead to a wide-spread panic."

"We merely need you to keep control of the situation, either until it's resolved or until they're ready. Can you handle this?" Franken asked

"Yes, sir!" They answered simultaneously.

"Very well, that is all." Shinigami dismissed them

Morgana gave a salute and began to leave as Izumu asked a question. "Excuse me, Shinigami-Sama, has my partner, Sonoma, been given an assignment?"

"Yes. He is searching for the Kishin with Sid-Kun" Shinigami answered.

"Thank you." Izumu bowed before leaving with Morgana.

They exited the door before Morgana finally stopped keeping her cool. "Honestly, that Death-Scythe! 'Private Lesson', oh I'll give him a 'private lesson', all right. A lesson on how to bleed!" She crossed her arms, furious

"While I admit the timing and nature of his affront was completely unprofessional, you really can't blame him too much." He glanced over at her, thumbs hooked in his trench coat pockets again. "I mean, you are a rather attractive woman."

"I wear men's clothes! They don't show off my figure at all and-" She suddenly registered what Izumu had just said. "Have you been staring at me?" She asked, outraged. "Watching me as I walk? Imagining me in bed? I bet you've been just dying to see me without my clothes, haven't you!"

He sighed, shaking his head as he walked off. "There you go again, putting words in my mouth…"

"Hey where do you think you're going?" She hurried after him, determined to berate him. "Death-Scythe is one thing, but **you** on the other hand…"

Izumu simply listened, preparing himself for the mental challenge that now faced him.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, here's Ch 2. As you saw, I added a Dramatis Personae (Character List) to the top. I figured that it helps me keep track of people, so it should help you figure out who's who. If you can think of a way to organize it that would be better (Such as Students before Faculty) or additional information that would really help you (Such as partners), tell me and I'll try to make it better. I think it's pretty simple, but I've been wrong before. I'm thinking of putting it in the beginning of each Chapter, but if you don't like it tell me. Anyways, time to get working on Ch 3, Thanks for reading and reviewing! ^_^


	3. Chapter 3: Combat Practice

Dramatis Personae:

Shibusen Faculty:

Izumu Garrot – Teacher, Lone Comet, Meister  
Morgana La Fay – Teacher, Setting Sun, Weapon

Students:

Sarah Silverstein – Meister, Arm Blades  
Nom – Weapon, Arm Blades  
Mina Harker – Meister, Tool  
Larsen Miles – Weapon, Tool  
Art Tannin – Meister, Shield  
Celt – Weapon, Shield  
Kaitlyn - Weapon, Whip

* * *

Ch 3: Combat Practice

"Ordered lines! Eyes front! No talking or running! Alright, class march!" Professor La Fay ordered her class forward, determined to enforce order on the students of Setting Sun classroom. Today was combat practice with Professor Garrot's class, Lone Comet, and Professor La Fay wouldn't tolerate them disrupting the other classes as they made their way to the training grounds. The students from Lone Comet were all second years, meant to challenge and help teach the newer students. They walked in two neat lines, Sarah and Nom just in front of Art and Celt.

Art wasn't worried about keeping the line straight or about talking; Sarah knew that he enjoyed the practice sessions too much to let rules dampen his spirit. He spoke softly to avoid the teacher's notice. "Hey, it just me or does she seem to be taking this a bit more seriously than usual?" He was talking about La Fay and Sarah had to will herself not to answer. Art continued, talking to himself as no one answered him. "You know what it is, don't'cha? We're training with Lone Comet. I'm certain she's got somethin' against Prof Garrot, but I dun' know what. You know?"

"Mister Tannin! Care telling me what is so important that it can't wait until we're outside?" Professor La Fay demanded

"Just discussin' strategy to crush Lone Comet." Art lied easily, disarming her with a smile

"Oh. Well… carry on!" La Fay bought his lie, slightly proud of Art's determination before she caught herself, not wanting him to talk inside. "Just, wait until we're outside, alright?"

"Can do." Art answered with a salute.

She nodded before turning her attention to further down the line. "Come now! Pick up the pace back there!"

Sarah couldn't help but talk to Art. "You big liar. I can't believe you got away with that." She kept her head forward to not draw attention

"Eh, it's a gift." Art shrugged before a thought dawned on him. "Hey I got it! No! It couldn't be. Could it? You dun' think she got the hots for him, do you?"

Sarah was now confused. "Who?"

"Prof Garrot! I mean think about it, she always arguing with him! All romanticizing, an stuff." Art put his hands over his heart, pretending to swoon.

Sarah gave a grunt of disgust. "Are you insane? She hates him! And how is arguing your idea of romance?"

Art wagged his finger at her. "Ah, you know. People always go for the hard to get ones. She just tryin' ta _im-press_ him."

Sarah gave a sigh of defeat, she didn't feel like arguing with him any further.

"Ya wanna know the one thing I can't figure?" Art continued after a moment

"Only one?" Sarah replied sarcastically

Art either didn't hear her or ignored her as he moved on "Which one is the one that's hard ta get?"

They mulled that over in silence as they finally exited the school.

Lone Comet was already there, running some light warm ups. Sarah and the others joined up with Mina and Larsen as the two teachers talked with a nurse, undoubtedly discussing safety. Art and Larsen greeted each other with high fives. Celt decided to take a rather large interest in a passing ladybug, walking a few feet away.

"So Larsen get's to hang with us? Coo'!"

"You-Know-It,My-Main-Man."

"But I thought Larsen was in Solar Eclipse, so why is he here with your class?" Sarah asked Mina

"That's true, but we still need to get combat practice. As a result, he gets to skip out on his class to go to my combat training. But that's alright, he's miles, pardon the pun, ahead of the rest of the class. He can catch up with ease." Mina informed her, thinking before continuing. "The same thing happens with Kaitlyn. I think that it's school policy for Weapons to follow the Meister's combat schedule." She concluded

Sarah and Art nodded as Celt returned to the group, ladybug safe in his cupped hands.

"Whatever. Larsen my man, I got's an idea. Follow me." Art beckoned for Larsen to come with him, and the two left the group to talk in private. Sarah and Mina tried ignoring them, talking to Celt and his ladybug. It wasn't long before the two came back, smiling. Larsen immediately went to a nearby group, talking to them.

Sarah and Mina looked at each other before Mina asked "Ok, what did you do?"

Art stretched his arms. "Nothin', nothin'."

"Hmm, then what exactly is Larsen doing?" Mina kept her irritation under control.

"Aw, he just being social." Art replied, now stretching his legs

Mina grabbed him, demanding "What, exactly, did you tell him to do?" she was clearly irritated

Art just smiled. "Dun worry. I ain't corruptin' him." He gently broke her hold on him, keeping her away using his hands. "It a surprise, ok? I'll let'chu in on the whole thing when it happen, k?" they watched as Larsen made his way to another group. "I gotta get going. See ya!" Art left and Celt followed dutifully, letting the ladybug fly off.

Mina crossed her arms. "Honestly, that moron. Larsen had better not get in any trouble or I'll tear him to pieces." Larsen talked to a third group nearby before returning, smiling.

Mina glared at him for a moment before ordering him to transform so they could begin training. Sarah followed her example and soon the pair were practice sparring, going slow so that the other had time to react.

They stopped when La Fay shouted. "Alright! Attention! Two lines, Setting Sun in front of me, Lone Comet in front of Professor Garrot. Make sure that each pair is across from another pair." She waited as they followed her orders, Garrot passing between students, helping them line up. She walked about halfway down the line. Sarah made sure to be across from Mina, trading places with another pair. "Good. Now, everyone to my right will jog a few laps as the rest spar. We will switch in a quarter hour, so get going!" La Fay ordered, drowning their groans.

'_Damn.'_ Sarah thought before jogging off with the rest of the group, Mina and Nom soon joining her.

It took a moment before Nom spoke up, "Umm, where's Larsen?" They glanced at the other runners, not seeing him.

"Oh, no…" Mina groaned as she spotted him, still standing next to the sparring group, watching.

Sarah glanced over, noting Professor La Fay heading straight for him. "Professor La Fay will rip him apart."

Sure enough, she was irritated with him. "Excuse me, but where is your partner?" she asked politely.

Larsen continued watching the fights, not looking away as he answered. "Most-Likely-Running,As-You-Ordered-Her-To."

"And why, pray tell, are you not running with her?" She kept a straight face

"Well, I'm-A-Weapon. Why-Would-I-Have-To-Run?" He turned to her, smiling

"Maybe because I ORDERED YOU TO!" She shouted

Larsen cowered, taking a step back. "But-But-But-I'm-A-Weapon!"

"And if your Meister is hurt, are you just going to leave them there? Being physically fit is the most important attribute of a weapon. Now go!" She barked, and Larsen sprinted off, catching up to the group, mostly to get away from La Fay.

"Well Larsen, did you learn an important lesson today?" Mina asked him sarcastically

"Yes!I-Observed-Various-Weaknesses-In-Enemy-Technique." Larsen gave an enthusiastic reply, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Should-Prove-Very-Useful."

Mina looked at him in disbelief, "I was talking about listening to the teacher, you obnoxious adjutant!" She took a deep breath, calming down. "That being said, tell me."

Sarah listened as he listed the various mistakes he saw, determined not to make them.

**

* * *

**

Art smiled, ducking under his opponents axe before smashing upward with Celt. The Meister staggered back, absorbing the blow before swinging again. This time Art sidestepped, hitting the axe out of the Meister's hand. Art held Celt to the boy's throat, clearly indicating his victory. The Axe walked back over, asking "Wow. Want to try again?"

Art never stopped smiling. "Coo'." He said in agreement.

This time Art went on the offensive, throwing Celt like a Frisbee, forcing the Meister to block, knocking Celt to the side. But Art was already there, grabbing the Meister's wrist and pulling him over his leg, tripping him. The Meister fell, landing on his back. He kicked with both feet, knocking Art away. The Meister started to get to his feet when Celt tackled him, his weight easily knocking down the smaller boy. He thrashed wildly, eventually rolling over as Art pinned his chest using his knee, Celt again held as a shield to his throat.

"Damn! Uncle!" The Meister yielded

Art got off, helping the Meister back to his feet. "So… best three outta five? Whatta ya say?"

The Boy held up his hands, his partner changing back to human. "No. I know when I'm beat. I surrender." He offered his hand. "Sorry."

"Naw, it A'ight." Art shook the offered hand, waving to get the teacher's attention. "Yo! Prof Garrot! Need a new opponent."

Garrot walked over, stopping a few fights as he passed by. His thumbs were hooked in the front pockets of his dark blue trench coat. "Really? Why, too difficult for you?" He indicated the Axe Meister, who shook his head.

"Naw, too easy." Art replied

"Is that right?" Garrot mused

The Axe Meister nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He's unstoppable. Uh, sir."

"Hmm… excuse me." Garrot dashed to the left in a flash, breaking up a fight between a Sword Meister and a Scythe Meister behind him. He caught the Sword Meister's wrist, narrowly stopping her from cutting the Scythe Meister's neck. "Careful. That was too close, Natalie."

"S-sorry, sir." She apologized, shaking at the realization of what she had almost done.

"It's alright. Take a break if you need to." Garrot consoled her, walking calmly back to Art. Many students had stopped, watching the spectacle. "That goes for anyone. If you need a break, take it. We don't want any accidents." He turned to Art "Anyways, if you need a challenge, would I do?"

Art's eyes widened, matching his smile. "That'd be perfect, Prof."

"Very well, if you could give me some space, please?" He asked the other students, who promptly backed away. This caught the attention of other groups, who stopped to watch.

"Should I take your coat, Professor?" The Axe asked

"No, I'll be fine, thank you." Garrot dismissed him, hooking his thumbs back into his pockets as he faced Art. "You may begin."

Art nodded and Celt transformed. Art caught him, thinking for a moment.

"A shield, huh? Must be difficult to attack, relatively speaking." Garrot analyzed

Art shook his head. "Not at all." He threw Celt up in the air

Garrot looked up, eyes tracking Celt's movement through the air

Meanwhile, Art took advantage of the distraction, charging at Garrot. He punched at Garrot's head and Garrot leaned back a second before the blow connected, eyes still on Celt. Art swung again, forcing Garrot to take a step back as he finally turned his attention to Art. "Using your weapon as a distraction, good job." Garrot complimented as he dodged. Art sidestepped as Garrot stepped forward, hands out of his coat. "But… you're open." Garrot threw his hands to the ground for support as he kicked up with his left leg. The blow hit Celt, now at the bottom of his arc, caught perfectly by Art. Garrot pulled back his leg, but Art still managed to graze it as he punched with his left hand.

Garrot flipped away, back to standing, thumbs hooked in pockets again. He smiled "That was very well done. Tell me, can you attack directly with your soul wavelength?" Garrot lifted is leg, balancing as he rubbed the spot of impact

"A little bit, yeah." Art answered, relaxing now that the fight was over.

"I see. That little hit could have done a lot of damage to my mobility, had you done so." He set his leg back down. "You've quite the mind for strategy, young Meister. Planning out your first three or maybe even four moves."

"Naw, I'm just lucky, s'all." Art smiled as he denied the compliment

Garrot raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? In that case, I envy your luck." He walked away from Art "I hope it lasts."

Art heard the veiled disappointment in his tone. Art frowned, bothered by Garrot's disapproval. Garrot exited the area and the watching students applauded. Art barely registered them as they congratulated him, replaying the fight in his mind. _'Why does that keep bothering me?'_ The parts that kept running through his mind were when Garrot had dodged his first punch without seeing it. Impossibly lucky, but even more bothersome to Art was how when he had blocked with Celt, Garrot was already starting to pull his leg back, but was looking _away from Art,_ straight at his hands on the ground.

Both times Garrot had reacted without seeing.

'_Interesting'_ Art thought as he tucked it in the back of his mind before turning his attention back to the present, smiling at the applauding students.

**

* * *

**

Sarah inevitably made the mistakes that Larsen had been talking about. She couldn't help it, she was still trying to get used to her unusual weapon. The Armblades (as she liked to call them) were a shorter weapon than most. On top of that, their movement was directly dependant on her arm, not her wrists, limiting her attacks even further. On the plus side, Nom worked exceptionally well as a pair of shields, taking advantage of her body's natural instinct of bringing up her arm to defend against oncoming attacks.

None of that helped her against Mina and Larsen, though. They had discovered that Larsen not only possessed fire attacks via his blowtorch form, but also had a lightning attack produced when he became a pair of electrodes. Sarah thought he looked like a two-pronged fork, only each prong was about two feet long and had a small ball at the end.

Regardless, she couldn't block either energy attack and quickly stopped trying when Nom commented that "I can taste my teeth" after being shocked

They quickly moved on to different partners, and Sarah started to get the hang of Nom by her third opponent. She accidently cut the opposing Meister's shoulder.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Sarah immediately started to panic, looking for the nurse.

"It's just a scratch. I'm fine." He shrugged it off, walking over to the nurse as he held his shoulder.

Sarah sighed, walking towards Professor La Fay to get a new sparring partner. Nom was nothing but encouraging. "You're finally getting the hang of it!"

"Yeah, I guess." She smiled at him

"No guessing, you are for sure!" He danced around her

She felt better despite herself. "You are a very interesting weapon. A blade that acts like a shield."

Nom thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I agree."

"Agree? Agree to what?" Sarah asked

"To be your shield." Nom stated, smiling.

Sarah felt herself blush, turning her head away to hide it from him.

As they approached La Fay, Professor Garrot arrived, talking to La Fay first. At least, Sarah thought he was talking to her, but is sounded more like he was voicing a conversation by himself. "And why, pray tell, would I fight you?" He stepped to the side, changing his posture slightly. "Because it would seem that a large number of students are requesting such a spectacle." He stepped back to his first position, waving his hand to dismiss the idea. "Oh, pish-tosh, that's no reason for us to fight." He stepped again. "True, but their technique could certainly use work, and a demonstration might be exactly what they need." He stepped back again, now considering the idea. "You know, you actually have a point there. That may actually be a good idea." Another step. "Of course, and this way I get the chance to beat the living daylights out of you, Izumu!" He pretended to throttle imaginary speaker number one, simulating as if he was Morgana throttling him.

Morgana La Fay started snickering. "You look like a fool" she stated

He smiled "Perhaps, but you think so regardless. At least this is a little fun. And your answer?"

She mocked him using the same attitude he had put on. "I will crush you."

"Good luck to you too." He told her, unfazed. He spoke up to the students "Attention! Your attention, please! You there! Stop jogging, bring it in!" All fights stopped and the joggers came back, a rather large group surrounding Art and Celt as they jogged towards Sarah and Nom. Mina and Larsen quickly joined them.

"What's going on?" Mina asked, and Larsen and Art smiled at each other

Sarah had no time to answer as Garrot continued. "It has come to my attention that several students could use a demonstration in proper combat technique. So the talented professor La Fay has graciously agreed to show you." He clapped his hands, starting a small round of applause.

"Excuse me?" La Fay started to object when Garrot continued

"And so, serving as her opponent," He lowered his voice, "and potential rag doll," He resumed his dramatic announcer voice. "Shall be I!"

La Fay smiled at the mention of using him as a rag doll.

"Now, before we get started I'd like for all students to come over to this side so that we have plenty of space. If you're in the front row, kindly sit so that others can see. And enjoy the show, I mean, pay close attention."

La Fay assumed a battle stance, indicating she was ready.

Garrot looked over at her. "Sorry, give me a second." He took off his trench coat, throwing it to a random student. "Here, hold this for me." His turtle neck shirt was the same dark blue as his coat, a short sleeve on the left side and no sleeve on the right. He had a tattoo on his exposed shoulder, but it ran under his shirt. The most unusual part of his shirt was the mesh in the center of the back. After a moment Sarah identified it as being a shape, almost a star.

"An Ivy leaf?" Art commented. "I bet that's his tat' too." He chuckled at the bad pun.

Mina rounded on him. "This is what you were up to, wasn't it?"

"All I asked was who would win. Prof. La Fay's tough, but Garrot's got speed. They always arguin' it wasn't a huge leap that they would fight." Art defended himself

"And so you recruited Larsen?" Mina asked, keeping her voice down

"Just to spread the word. Besides, I obviously wasn't alone in my interest, or we wouldn't be sitting here." Art replied "Think of it as learning opportunity."

Garrot walked back towards La Fay. "Sorry about that." he gave a warriors bow before also assuming a stance, giving a "Ha!"

La Fay smiled, turning her left arm into a metal pole, smashing down in front of Garrot, creating a cloud of dust. He stood his ground as the ground in front of him erupted, obscuring his vision. Several students gasped in surprise as La Fay used the dust to hide her movement, launching into the air before striking down at him. He stared forward, charging into the dust right beneath her as her attack passed through where he had been just a second before.

She blinked, surprised at his action. _'He can't seriously think that I'm still standing there, can he?'_ She thought, shortening her arm before extending it straight down at him.

The dust was fading through the combination of time and his movement. Without looking up, Garrot dived, narrowly evading her attack as she struck the ground. Standing on his hands he grabbed the pole with his feet, knocking La Fay to the ground.

She recovered easily, sliding slightly as she landed. Garrot charged, ducking under the polearm and kicking out at her. She turned her other arm into a short pole, blocking his attack as she shortened her left arm to swing again. He blocked with his foot, standing on his hands as they both continued to block in a flurry of blows, cheers erupting from the crowd. Finally he flipped, launching a flurry of kicks from the air. She blocked before extending her arm again. Garrot caught the tip with his foot, launching into the air as he flipped away.

Now La Fay was back on offense, swinging with both arms as he landed, facing away from her. He immediately hopped back up, over her right arm catching it with his right hand, using it as support for his kick, deflecting the other pole.

Art grabbed Sarah. "There! Do you see that? What's he looking at?"

Sarah watched, unable to tell. "He doesn't seem to be looking at anything."

"Exactly." Art said, watching intently as Garrot escaped from La Fay, putting distance between them.

Garrot turned, dancing on his feet. La Fay stopped, bracing herself for his next attack. He charged, sprinting at full throttle. A few feet away he slid, arcing his right leg up. She brought her left arm up to block, too late. He stepped on her shoulder, lightly pushing off her. She instinctually swung at him with her right arm, barely grazing his back.

He skidded to a stop, addressing the class as the bells chimed. "Well class, that's all for today."

He leapt, then ducked, then flipped as La Fay continued to attack, oblivious to the bells. "You held back on me!" She shouted, enraged

"So did you, so we're even." He replied, continuing to dodge as he spoke to the class. "Regardless, I hope you all learned something. So be sure to practice what you've learned and be prepared for next time. Class dismissed." He dashed off, much to La Fay's dismay.

"Get back here! I'm not finished with you!" She shouted, chasing after him.

The students applauded as both teachers disappeared in the distance.

**

* * *

**

The next day Art stood outside of Lone Comet classroom, waiting across the hall as the students left. Spotting Kaitlyn he gave a polite nod as she walked by. She beamed at him and gave an excited wave before leaving; a far cry from her earlier depressed self. He waited a few more minutes before Garrot exited the room.

Spotting Art he stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Ah, you're that Shield Meister from yesterday. Setting Sun, yes?" He sighed "Well, what message does La Fay have for me this time? A duel of honor at sunrise, perhaps? Or is it something more dramatic, like pistols at twenty paces? Mister…?" He was obviously joking

Art shook his head "My name is Art Tannin. No message. I'm here on my own."

"I see." Garrot closed the door, leaning against it so that he was across the hall from Art. "Well then, how may I be of service? You're already becoming somewhat of a school legend. The first-year that managed to hit the Speed Demon of Shibusen on his first try."

"What were you lookin' at?" Art asked "During each fight you weren't watching your opponent, yet you still dodged. I want to know how."

"How did you hit me?" Garrot responded without hesitation. "You're not lucky enough, I know. Did you plan your first three moves?"

Art thought for a moment. "How do ya figure three?"

Garrot counted on his fingers "One, throwing your shield as a distraction. Two, taking advantage of my inattention and attacking directly. And three, maneuvering so that you could catch the shield." Garrot paused as he thought. "What I want to know is if you planned the fourth move, the actual blow. Or was that just an opportunity?"

"You give me a lot of credit." Art began

"Don't deny your own abilities," Garrot stopped him. "I can't stand people who do that."

Art nodded, deciding to explain. "I un'erstand. I hoped to get you with the second step, but had no plans after step three. At least until you dodged the first part, then it occurred to me that you were a foot fighter, and I thought up part four." He shrugged, "I took a guess and it panned out"

"How'd you figure that I was a foot fighter?" Garrot asked

"Two things: One, you move way too fast. Your legs are more built up than your arms, but I didn't know that for sure until you fought with Prof La Fay. But that was my suspicion. What further convinced me was number Two: you keep your thumbs hooked in your pockets. I saw that in the beginning of our fight, telling me that you rely more on your feet, but still want to have your hands available for supporting your kicks."

"Ahh, quite observant aren't you?" He thought for a second. "Well, I guess that I should answer your question, just to be fair, but first, what is it that you truly want?"

Art answered slowly, thinking out his answer. "What I want, is to be you, I guess."

Garrot smiled, walking up to him "In that case, show me that you can be me. You're strong, bring back your first soul and I'll tell you everything you want to know." He walked off, adding, "I'll be expecting you."

Art just stood there, thinking.

**

* * *

**

Art was distant in class, not really paying any attention to La Fay as she described various unique abilities that Witches were known to have. "…hiding their souls by means of Soul Protect, becoming indistinguishable from a regular human soul. This ability, while impressive, does come with a drawback. While using Soul Protect a Witch cannot use her magic. She becomes, in effect, a normal human. Mister Tannin!" She barked

"Yo!" Art stood

"Would you mind repeating what I just said?" She asked him.

"No idea!" He answered honestly

The class laughed as La Fay continued "While I find your candor refreshing, would you mind paying attention?"

"Won't happen again… today." His response evoked another round of laughs

"Could you at least manage to the end of the week?" She haggled with him

"I'll most certainly try. But no promises, k?" Art sat back down

"At least you're honest." She continued her lesson. "In order for a Witch to use her magic again, she must release her Soul Protect, returning her soul to normal..."

Art listened, his mind still racing in the background.

The moment class was over he grabbed Celt. "Hey, need you." Celt nodded, following without a word "See you guys later." He told Sarah and Nom.

"Yeah, later." "Bye!"

Art and Celt made their way to the Mission Bulletin; Art determined to take a mission. "What do you think, Celt?" Art asked his weapon, "We ready?"

Celt looked down at him for a moment before handing him a mission card. "Las Vegas is nearby…"

Art took the card, smiling. "That it is, and we the new sheriff in town!" He read the target summary. "Bomber H. Mike, you goin' down."

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes: And so, the teachers duke it out and Art becomes determined to prove himself. Very Art-centric Chapter and the next one will probably be as well, at least in the beginning. No canon characters this time, sorry.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!

P.S. Brownie points to anyone that can guess where I came up with the name Mike


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